Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair
by luvnote4u
Summary: sequel to All's Fair in Love and War. the Underground has been plunged into civil war. Can Sarah save Jareth from the wrath of his power-lusting brother? JxS Read and REVIEW! HIATUS
1. The Scroll

**Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. I do however own _All's Fair in Love and War_, its original characters and its sequel: _Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair_. Enjoy!

**Prologue: The Scroll**

The sky was black. Dark, ominous clouds gathered across the night sky, blocking out the moon and the stars' rays.

This was nothing new.

Every night, since that fateful masquerade, has been blacker than obsidian stone. At first, locals thought it was a dark omen, threatening havoc upon the Underground. But as the months progressed and the sky showed no signs of changing, people grew to either accept this sinister fate or forget the omen entirely. Either way this was the new 'norm'. They grew used to living under the threatening storm and forgot the stars.

A dwarf, garbed in all black, was crouching behind a sparse bush on this particularly bleak night. His eyes scanned the land for any signs of trouble or mischief. So far he had met none. But one could never be too careful, especially during times such as these.

The dwarf inwardly grumbled to himself. Why did that lady have to make _him_ do this stupid mission? Why all this fuss over some damned piece of parchment? He had to go out and risk his life. And for what? A piece of paper he couldn't even read?!

The poor creature sighed. He was such a coward. His grubby hand automatically reached for the plastic beads on his wrist. If only _she_ was here. She would be brave for him. Heck, if she was here, he probably wouldn't have to go on this God-forsaken mission at all. She'd do it for him.

Finally, convinced that no danger was coming, the dwarf scurried a short distance across the barren waste until he passed the safety mark where he finally relaxed.

He entered a hidden cave and crept silently through the tunnels so as not to wake anyone. At last, he reached the tunnel's end. He pulled a jagged stone, jutting out from the cave wall, down. Suddenly, a portion of the wall moved out of the way, leaving an arch in its place.

The dwarf stepped through the arch, entering a cavern. He wasn't alone in the subterranean bubble, however. In the center of the room were two figures, also shrouded in black. They were bent over a make-shift stone table and muttering to one another. As the dwarf entered the room, one of the figures abruptly stopped.

"You found it?" a man's voice asked as he lowered his hood.

"Yes, sir," said the dwarf as he reached into his cloak pocket and produced the dingy parchment.

At this point the second figure was looking up from their work too. They lowered their hood to reveal a woman's face framed by thick, auburn hair. A scar on her cheek marred the woman's once perfect, alabaster complexion. Now it gave her an animalistic appearance. Her mismatched eyes glinted at the dwarf.

"Thank goodness!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and snatching it from the dwarf's hand.

"Now leave me… both of you," she ordered. The dwarf complied without a word to her (he did, however, grumble complaints to himself) while the other man lingered by her side.

"Please…" he said, "please don't do this."

"I have to," she said without looking at him. Instead her eyes were focused on the unopened scroll in her hand.

"But what if something goes wrong? We can't do this without you!" he said, stepping towards her, his dark eyes earnest.

"And we both know that we can't do this without _her_ either," she replied with just as much fervor.

He sighed. There was no other way around it was there?

He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him. She returned his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. In unison, their hearts thudded in their chests.

"Promise you'll come back alive," he whispered ardently in her ear.

"My dear friend," she whispered back, "I swear I'll return to you." She tried to say this with as much confidence as possible but fear still coated her voice.

"Be safe."

"I will," she replied. "Now go!"

He let go of her and strode out of the cavern without looking back.

The woman now turned her attention to the old scroll still clutched in her hand. With the burden of what she was about to do looming towards her, it somehow felt ten pounds heavier. She broke the seal of the parchment and began to read…

**Author Note**: I originally planned on waiting to publish this but so many of you wonderful readers begged me to give you more story. So what's a writer to do? Well, who am I to deny such fantastic viewers? Thus, I give you this prologue. Please be patient with me, though for the next chapter. I implore you.


	2. A Blind Affair

**Chapter 1 A Blind Affair**

Sarah glared at the girl with long, ebony locks, porcelain skin and emerald eyes staring back at her. Her reflection. Pure and utter contempt for herself radiated from her pores. Sarah wasn't usually so masochistic but she had her reasons today: Jenny had miraculously roped her into one of her heinous schemes…again. Two words: blind date.

Sarah's best (human) friend, Jenny, flitted around her bedroom, alternating between curling her blonde tendrils, trying on tops, and tossing aside pair after pair of shoes. Sarah rolled her eyes as she thought about how they couldn't be more opposites.

The differences between these two were most evident in their physical appearances. Jenny was sunlight personified with her wavy, golden hair, tanned skin, gleaming smile and even her gold-flecked, hazel eyes. Sarah's look was much more dramatic in a classical way. The contrast between her hair color, skin tone and wide, green eyes made her face interesting to look at. Her expressive eyes contained both the naïve innocence of a child and the ancient wisdom of an old woman who has lived through far too much.

Aside from the apparent differences in features, the polarity of their personalities was most profound, and immensely ironic. Jenny, the biggest cynic Sarah had ever known, was deeply and hopelessly in love. And on top of that, she was in a _real_ relationship, not some superficial teen crush that goes absolutely nowhere. Sarah never thought she'd see the day. It certainly didn't make it easier on Sarah when she was already wondering where _her_ love was or if he was even _alive_.

She sighed inwardly. Four months. Four, _long_ months. Four, long months of searching, waiting, wishing for a miracle to happen, a miracle that would bring her back to the Underground and into the arms of the Fae she loved.

Sarah had expected nightmares to follow after her last episode in the Underground. But what she got was more chilling than anything her subconscious could drum up. Sarah didn't dream at all. Each morning she'd wake, not having the vaguest idea where her thoughts had been the night before. And worse still, she awoke each morning feeling completely numb…hollow.

"Are you seriously going out, looking like _that_?" asked Jenny, breaking Sarah's reverie.

"Yes," she replied curtly, her earlier irritation flaring. Fact of the matter was that she could care less about the idiotic date looming in her near future. She wasn't going to put on a show for some guy she knew she'd never care for. It would be wasted effort. Besides, her heart already belonged to another…

"Sarah, what's wrong?" Jenny came over and sat down next to her friend. Again, the contrast between them was glaringly obvious.

"I just don't feel like going out, least of which with a perfect stranger."

"You never want to go out anymore. What happened? A couple of months ago, almost all you ever wanted to do was date. You were sort of a serial dater."

Sarah ignored the ribbing. She didn't like thinking about that phase she went through when she was doing everything in her power to forget Jareth. Now she was fighting to remember. "Look, I'm just not interested in these high school _boys_." She placed particular emphasis on the word boy, thinking how the one who held her heart was much, much more than some ordinary boy.

"Oooo! College boys?" Jenny completely misinterpreted what Sarah was trying to say.

"No. I'm just…I'm just sick of dating right now. Okay?"

Jenny pursed her lips. "Fine. But can we at _least_ get through this evening? I promised Billy I'd bring you along for his friend, Spencer. Then I swear I won't force you onto another double date again."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Promise?" Jenny took her right index finger and made an X across her heart flippantly. "Fine. This is the _last_ one. I'm holding you to this."

Jenny flashed a dazzling grin. "C'mon, Sarah. You may actually have fun. Spencer is like Billy's best friend. And he's totally your type. He's tall and blonde and Billy says he's hilarious. You'll love him."

_I seriously doubt it_, Sarah thought bitterly.

Jenny just grinned at Sarah's expression. She was confident in her matchmaking abilities. As far as she was concerned, Sarah should be picking her white dress out tonight.

* * *

Sarah was _not_ going to be picking out a white dress. Not that night. Not any night. However, she was thinking about picking out a black dress…for a funeral. She was going to kill Jenny when this was over.

The four of them were sitting in a dark theater, trapped for the duration of the ninety minute horror film that Jenny had insisted they all see. Sarah knew this tactic all too well. Jenny was looking for an excuse to pretend to be afraid and have Billy protect her from all the terror and macabre on the twenty foot screen. She was also very aware of the fact that Jenny wanted Sarah to follow suit and have Spencer do the same. The problem with this idea was that if anyone needed protecting in that theater, it was Sarah's date.

All evening during their miserable dinner, Spencer and Billy had been getting pumped for the latest box office smash that supposedly had everyone on the edges of their seats and screaming in the theater. Jenny had joined in the conversation enthusiastically, trying to impress the boys with her horror flick trivia. Sarah had sat rather quietly in the corner of their both, trying to mop up the cola that Spencer had knocked into her lap. She was still silently fuming about how he didn't feel the least bit of remorse and actually found the stunt hilarious.

Spencer had chatted animatedly about how he was certain he'd seen scarier films than this all the way up until the lights went down and the crazed murderer was chasing some poor, innocent victim down the street. Then he shut up, to Sarah's relief. It took her a few minutes and a few deaths later to realize that he was too quiet. To her right Jenny and Billy were tangled up in each other and when they weren't making out, they were quietly exclaiming about some frightening thing on the screen.

Spencer was dead quiet.

For the first time all evening, Sarah willingly looked at her date. His face was blanched in response to the images flashing violently across the screen. His body was curled in a ball and he was rocking back and forth mechanically in his seat. Terror couldn't have been plainer on his face if someone had taken a stick of eyeliner and wrote the word on his forehead.

Sarah snorted.

She didn't see what everyone else was going on about. It really wasn't all that scary. The plot line was cheesy and the action sequences were far too bizarre to ever be taken seriously. She'd been through much worse. She amused herself with the image of the cleaners in the labyrinth chasing Spencer around. Now _that_ would be scary…for him at any rate.

Jenny was stupid to think that this boy could honestly tempt Sarah. For all his bravado, he was unable to walk the walk. Sarah knew she'd never want someone like him. She needed someone more powerful, more commanding, someone who would scare the pants off of some guy like Spencer. Or at least someone with a stronger stomach. And Sarah just happened to know of someone who fit those criteria. Too bad she had no idea where the hell he was or what had happened to him. And it was those thoughts that had her chewing her lower lip with worry.

When the movie was over and the lights were up Spencer slipped back into his pompous self. Jenny made some comment about how the film was 'really scary' as she disentangled herself from Billy whose hands were unwilling to let her go. Sarah's face was utterly bored…on the surface. When she got Jenny alone there would be hell to pay, though.

The two couples stepped out into the hot, humid, summer air. Jenny could feel the angry vibes from Sarah and she knew she was in trouble, which was why she didn't let the boys walk them home that evening.

"I had a wonderful time, Billy," she crooned, staring lovingly into her boyfriend's eyes in manner that made even Sarah want to gag.

"Me too," he said before pulling her in to kiss her passionately.

Sarah stood by awkwardly as this exchange went on. She had no idea what to say to Spencer. What was the conventional way of telling someone that they had an awful time and that they never wanted to see or hear from them again?

"Well, Sarah," Spencer said, slinging his arm around her shoulder. She cringed. "I had a great time. We should do this again." He gestured between the two of them with his hand. Sarah gritted her teeth together and contorted her face into a pained smile.

Without warning, he leaned in a planted his lips on hers. His lips were dry and cracked and his breath tasted of onions and garlic. She was gagging long before he released her.

"I'll call you," he said and then turned to join Billy as they walked away.

Jenny was standing sheepishly on the corner, waiting for Sarah to look at her. Sarah inhaled deeply through the nose, contemplating the likelihood that her parents would change their number. She wasn't liking her odds.

"Please, don't kill me," Jenny said as they started walking in the opposite direction toward their neighborhood.

"Oh, so you weren't too busy playing tonsil-hockey with Billy to notice that _my_ date was absolutely awful?" Sarcasm coated every syllable of Sarah's words.

"C'mon, Sar. It wasn't that bad. It could have been worse," she said when Sarah shot her a withering look.

"You know, Jenny, I have been on some pretty lousy dates in the past year but this one takes the cake. I think I might have to mail him a customized plaque that says WORST DATE EVER. How does that sound?"

"Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic? So you had a bad date. Big deal. It's not like you're going to marry the man," Jenny replied, going back on her earlier thoughts that it could very well work out that way.

"Man? Ha! Did you see the way he freaked out in the theater? Whatever that was, it sure wasn't _manly_."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

They were just outside Jenny's house. Sarah nodded and said, "Hey, whatever. It's the last time this will happen so it's okay. But I gotta go. You know Irene will be waiting to ask me about all the gory details when I get home. I'll see you later." Sarah turned on her heel and headed further down the street in the direction of her house as Jenny unlocked her front door and went inside.

The warm air swirled around Sarah as she walked slowly home. It was a cloudless night. All the stars were blinking happily in their home in the sky. It was beautiful. Sarah paused and looked up. A streak of light shot across the sky as she gazed into the heavens. The hollow cavity of her chest throbbed. She couldn't help but remember that night when her view of the Goblin King had changed so drastically. She remembered that starlit night they had shared and she found herself yearning for it once again. She wanted so desperately to feel him near her again, to hear the sound of his voice, to hold his gloved hand hers. As the star made its exit across her horizon, she closed her eyes and wished.

"I wish that something will happen…something that will allow me to return to the Underground soon."

She opened her eyes and stared at the average neighborhood surrounding her. Like all her recent wishes, nothing happened. She sighed and trudged unwillingly into her house, back to the mundane life she wished she could leave behind her forever.

**Author Note: **Hey everyone! Thank you for all your wonderful response to the prologue. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll be getting back to Jareth soon (I know you're all anxious to know what has become of him) but please hang in there. I have a few more things to cover before I can get to him. Please review! 3


	3. Flight

**Chapter 2 Flight**

"So how was your date last night, Sarah?"

Sarah glared at Irene from over her bowl of Cornflakes. As far as she was concerned, her disastrous date had been as much Irene's fault as it had been Jenny's. Irene had really pushed the idea, remembering that it was through a blind date that she met Sarah's father. She had also convinced Robert that it would be a wonderful idea before Sarah could get to him and explain why it would _not_ be (leaving out the part about her falling for the villain in her story book, of course). Therefore, it was with her father and stepmother's blessing that Jenny was able to rope Sarah into the worst date of her life.

"Awful," Sarah answered curtly before returning to her cereal.

"Why is that, Sarah?" Robert asked as he put Toby in his highchair. He looked at his daughter with concern in his eyes.

Sarah sighed. "Because he was rude and obnoxious. That's why."

"So no wedding bells anytime soon?" he asked jokingly. Robert knew that bother Jenny and Irene had been thinking along those ludicrous lines.

"I'm only sixteen, Dad," she said as she took her now empty bowl over to the sink to be rinsed.

"I know. Just checking." There was a smile in his voice. He was glad to hear Sarah's indifference towards boys (as far as he knew). He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of her _dating_—every father's worst nightmare.

Irene spoke again. "Do you have any plans for today, Sarah?"

"None, yet. Why?"

"Your father and I were going to go shopping for a new sofa for the living room. We were wondering if you could watch Toby while we're gone."

"It'll only be a few hours, Sarah," Robert interjected. "You can take him to the park or something. Make sure you put him down for a nap. Nothing too hard. We'll be back before you notice we're gone," he promised.

"And the evening will be yours to spend however you want," Irene added.

"Yeah, sure. Piece of cake."

"Thanks, Sarah," Robert said before returning to Toby. Irene was engrossed in some gardening article in the paper. This left Sarah standing at the sink feeling rather awkward. She sighed quietly and headed back towards the stairs and up to her room.

In truth, she welcomed the prospect of watching Toby for the afternoon. It gave her an excuse not to make plans right away with Jenny and at least she would not be once again caught in the monotony of normalcy. Not to mention the fact that Toby had really grown on her in the past year. He kept things simple—not normal but simple. Sarah did not think there would ever be anything truly _normal_ about him after their joint adventure a little over a year ago. He was as marked by the Underground as she was. There would be no escape from the magic for him, just like there was none for her. Sarah wondered how this would affect him when he grew up.

Sarah sprawled out on her bed and stared at her ceiling. Warm summer air came in through her open window bringing with it the sounds and scents of summer. She could hear the playful squeals of her neighbors' children playing in the sprinkler in their front yard. She could hear a dog barking and an occasional car driving by. She smelled the intoxicating fragrance of summer flowers filling the air. It all slowly lulled her to sleep and for the first time in four months, Sarah dreamed.

* * *

Her dream did not match the pleasant atmosphere that surrounded her in the waking world. It was dark and cold. At first, all her mind's eye saw was swirling mist that clouded everything else. Then the mist began to give way. She saw a face…a face she worried she would never see again. However, her joy was tainted by how this face appeared.

To say that this man had suffered would be an understatement. Agony was written in every line etched in his beautiful face—horrible, ruthless, agony. Sarah watched in horror as he flinched again and again as if some unseen force was torturing him. It would not have surprised her in the least if that were indeed the case. Through gritted teeth, she heard him say, "It's going to take more than that to make me relinquish my claim."

"Oh, really?" a voice sneered. "If you say so."

Jareth screamed.

* * *

"Sarah? Sarah? Wake up, Sarah."

She felt a prodding on her shoulder as her father tried to shake her awake. Warm, bright reality slapped her in the face as she woke up and realized it was all just a dream.

"Are you alright?" Robert asked. His question was a valid one. Sarah was still twitching and had just the faintest bit of moisture on her lashes.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm fine," she replied though her voice broke. "I just had a weird dream. That's all." _Weird doesn't even begin to cover it,_ she thought wryly.

"Oh. I see. Well, Irene and I were going to head out now. Toby is currently playing in his crib. You should make use of the day. It's nice outside. Take Toby to the park before it gets too hot."

"Okay, Dad."

Robert kissed Sarah's forehead before striding out the room. Sarah stared blankly after him, trying to return to reality. But she could not stop her slight frame from trembling.

Sarah did not move from her bed until she heard her father's car pull out of their driveway. She would not have moved at all if it had not been for Toby. He was calling for her.

"Sawah! Sawah? Sawah!"

"Oh, Toby," she sighed.

Sarah crossed the hall into Toby's small room. He was sitting up in his crib, waiting expectantly for her. His chubby cheeks pulled into a grin when she arrived at his door. He stretched his arms up, indicating that he wanted her to hold him. She smiled and lifted him from his bed.

"You know, you're getting a bit big for this, Toby." She laughed at his frown, as if he could understand what she was telling him. How did her father and Irene miss the intelligence that radiated from his baby blue eyes that was clearly not normal? Sarah silently guessed that it was their denial of magic that made them so blind to the glaringly obvious.

"How do you feel about going to the park? Wanna go feed the duckies?" she asked him.

"Duckies! Duckies!" he crowed.

Sarah tousled his blonde curls and took him down to the kitchen to grab the loaf of Wonderbread they had in the cupboard. This would be good for them both, she decided. She needed to get out of the house where her dream still felt so vivid. She needed to get out into the sunshine where such nightmares could never touch her.

She tucked Toby into his little, red wagon along with his diaper bag (he did not really nit anymore, but it put Irene at ease). She let Toby hold the bread bag in his lap.

When they got out into the sunlight, Sarah felt her breathing steady. It was like she had been underwater for an extended period without taking a breath and now her head was breaking the surface. In the heat and brightness of the sun, it was easy to convince herself that her dream was simply that, a dream. She told herself it was just a product of her worrying about Jareth for the past several months.

Sooner than Sarah thought possible, they were at the park. The familiar willows' limbs fluttered in the breeze, as if welcoming them into its arms. The pond and bridge of her childhood memories beckoned to her. She heeded the call. This was a place where she could believe in magic without nightmares tainting it.

She quickly situated Toby near the pond's edge by a small flock of ducks basking in the cool pool of water. He squealed with delight as they came close to him once he offered the breadcrumbs. She sank down beside a tall oak and smiled with maternal warmth that she only recently realized. Occasionally, a soft breeze would rustle through the trees and ruffle Toby's and her hair. It would break the surface of the pond, causing the water to ripple in strange formations. The sun's rays danced across the waves, casting the light in various shapes and contortions. Sarah gazed into the water, mesmerized by the glittering illusions. Once, the waves took the form of a dove flapping its wings. Another time it shaped itself like a grand ship sailing the high seas. And at one moment, Sarah swore she saw the ripples take the shape of the Goblin King's beautiful, smirking face; she blinked and it was gone.

Sarah could not have been more relieved when Toby grew tired and complained that it was too hot outside. She packed them up and walked slowly home; Toby had fallen asleep in his wagon and was snoring softly.

The house seemed empty when they returned home. Of course, it _was_ empty. That was to be expected but there was no sense of homecoming as Sarah carried Toby through the picture-lined halls to his room. She realized that it had not felt like home since…well, since she had returned to the Underground. She had left her heart there; like the house she stood in, she was empty.

Sarah tucked Toby into his crib and planted a light kiss on his soft forehead. His face had a dream-like quality. His lips parted and he breathed deeply. Sarah, not for the first time in her life, felt envious of her little brother. She would have loved to succumb to such a peaceful oblivion. It hardly seemed fair that he was allowed to. With these thoughts buzzing around her head, she closed the door quietly behind her.

Her footsteps were lazy as she crossed the length of the short hallway to her own room. Her hand hesitated on the doorknob. A strange feeling, almost like a premonition, shocked her body so that she was completely frozen, her hand locked onto the knob, gripping it like a vise.

_This is silly,_ she chastised herself. _It's just your bedroom. There's _nothing_ weird in there. _Or that was what she tried to convince herself. It was easier said than done. After perhaps a minute or two of just standing awkwardly outside her room, Sarah gulped down the bile that filled her mouth. Her hand twisted the knob with a jerk and she practically kicked the door in.

The sight that greeted her was beyond anything she had expected.

She first noticed the boots—leather, black, stiletto and thigh-high. They flowed almost seamlessly into the form-fitting, black pants. Next a billowy charcoal blouse surrounded by a midnight cloak, enveloped alabaster skin. Auburn curls tumbled to the figure's waist and framed a porcelain face marred by a puckered, pink crescent on her cheek. Sapphire and emerald eyes looked up from the withered sheet of parchment clutched in her hand.

"Tatiana!" Sarah gasped.

The girl flung herself into the arms of her lost friend, clinging to her with all the might she possessed. Sarah was acutely aware of how close she was to sobbing for joy. It truly was a miracle to have her tangibly there. Just when Sarah was losing hope, Tatiana had returned. That had to count for something.

The Fae sighed exasperatedly. "Sarah, this hardly is the time or place for heart-felt reunions."

Sarah stiffened at the hardness of Tatiana's words. She pulled away to examine the immortal's expression. Her face looked strained; her jaw was clenched and her full lips were pressed into a thin line; there was a crazed look in her mismatched eyes. It was as if Tatiana was a wire pulled taut and could snap at any moment.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No time to explain. I have to get you out of here. Now!"

"I can't leave Toby," Sarah pleaded as Tatiana gripped her wrist.

"Oh, yes you _can_. Believe me; Toby will be safer when you leave."

"But my parents—"

"Listen to me! They are coming for—"

Something that sounded like an explosion erupted downstairs. The house shook and Sarah fell to the floor with a frightened shriek on her lips. Amidst all the chaos, the distinct sound of a toddler crying could be heard.

A string of profanities hissed through Tatiana's clenched teeth. She yanked Sarah up and over her shoulder; Tatiana was deceptively strong. Sarah protested while Tatiana's attention turned back to the parchment gripped in her hand. Rapidly, she murmured strange, throaty words with one sinuous breath.

_CRASH_.

Sarah's bedroom door was blasted off its hinges. Blinding light meshed with white smoke crept sinisterly through the threshold. Sarah felt Tatiana's breath hitch.

"Hold on tight," she murmured as she took a defensive stance. Sarah wondered exasperatedly how one could hold on in her position.

"Give us the girl, Tatiana," a high pitched, male voice ordered. Sarah craned her neck to see the speaker but found it to be an impossible feat.

Tatiana laughed mirthlessly. "Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," a second speaker hissed.

Tatiana made no reply to their goading. So low that Sarah had to strain to hear it, she whispered, "Three, two, one…now!" A clap of thunder resounded. The Fae and the mortal had vanished.

* * *

Tatiana hit the ground running. She weaved through enormous boulders at break-neck speeds causing Sarah to bounce violently over her shoulder. Tatiana chanced a glance over her shoulder; her eyes widened at the sight of their pursuers. She pushed herself to move faster.

Sarah had a good view of the trackers from her vantage point. There were twenty of them: thirteen men and seven women. All were garbed in white from head to toe. In the lead was a lean male Fae with angular features and a fierce glint in his eyes. On his flanks were two female Fae whose every movement was an extension of the other's. Something that looked very much like fireballs were clenched in their fists. Sure enough, they hurled them in unison at their moving target, missing Sarah and Tatiana by mere inches and scorching an unfortunate tree to ashes.

The leader bared his teeth in frustration. His hands became claws as energy built up in his palms. He roared, releasing the attack. Tatiana was not so lucky this time. One of the blasts missed her by no more than a centimeter but the second one hit her squarely on the left shoulder. She cried out in agony, falling to the ground. Sarah went flying; she landed twenty feet in front of her.

Gasping for air Tatiana snapped her head to look behind her. Their pursuers were gaining on them. She stumbled to her feet and rushed to Sarah. She cradled the barely conscious human in her arms as she took off again.

She pushed her limbs to their limit until they were screaming in protest. _Just a little further,_ she mentally panted. With one final burst of energy, she ran the remaining hundred yards to her destination with the trackers on her heels.

She collapsed the moment she felt the protective barrier envelop her. As far as her pursuers knew, she had vanished to a different location. They would continue on to the decoy rendezvous without thinking for a second that they had been duped. Tears pricked her eyes; her breathing had become laborious and it had nothing to do with the exertion she had just endured.

Sarah had rolled a few feet away from Tatiana when she collapsed. She now groaned as her body notified her of the damage. Her head pounded and her ribs ached. She rolled to her side and tried to force herself into a sitting position. Her body shrieked in protest but she managed it. She glanced over at Tatiana and stifled a gasp. The Fae's shoulder had a singed appearance and it slowly oozed blood and other liquids down her arm. Furthermore, the wound seemed to gradually grow in area. This was truly ghastly.

Sarah forced herself to get up from the ground and help Tatiana up as well. She was eternally grateful that Tatiana was still conscious; she would have never been able to carry her if she was dead weight. She draped her friend's arm over her shoulder and together they limped in the direction Tatiana pointed them.

A few minutes later, they were greeted by a man pacing back and forth in front of small cave opening. His head snapped up at the sound of their approach and his anxious face turned agonized. He rushed to their side immediately, seizing Tatiana into his arms and relieving Sarah of her burden.

"What happened?" he demanded of Sarah, although his eyes never left woman's he still clutched to his chest.

Sarah was not sure how to answer. The shock that had kept her relatively quiet throughout the pursuit was wearing off and she was unsure what to make of the chaotic images thrashing in her head.

"We were followed," Tatiana croaked. "I arrived at Sarah's house literally moments before the others did."

"What happened to your shoulder?" the man asked in a strained voice.

Tatiana managed to grimace as she replied, "Maximus' chief of police got a lucky shot. It's nothing, though."

"That is not _nothing_!" he cried out. "We must get you to a healer at once. Both of you," he added turning to look at Sarah's bruised and battered appearance. "Come, I'll carry you myself," he said to Tatiana.

"I can walk!" she snapped. She pushed away from the concerned Fae, squared her shoulders, and stalked off through the opening in the cave, limping slightly as she did so.

The man sighed and motioned for Sarah to follow him.

* * *

A thousand miles away from that cave was a sprawling, snow-white city. At the center of the city was a glistening palace whose magnificence was unparalleled anywhere else in the Underground. Deep below the castle's dungeons was a chamber devoted to muffling the shrieks of the tortured inhabitants.

On this particular day, there was but one inhabitant; they had been occupying the space for quite some time. Four months, to be exact. On the cold floor there lay a be-gloved man with shaggy blond hair and mismatched eyes. His skin was sallow from the lack of sun exposure and his cheeks were sunken in. He lay perfectly still, breathing in shallowly, as if playing dead. The only sound in the chamber was the impatient tapping of a shoe on the stone floor.

"Maximus, darling, I'm growing bored of this. What are you waiting for?" whined a petite Fae with golden plaits of hair and matching golden eyes.

"I'm waiting, Lucinda, _dear_, for my brother to realize that playing dead isn't fooling anyone. He needs to realize now that he only has two options: either relinquish the labyrinth to me or face my wrath. Which will it be, Jareth?" he sneered at the figure on the floor.

The tortured Fae made no reply. "Such a pity," Maximus sighed. "You know I really hate to do this." His lips curled back, exposing a deranged smile as he watched his little brother writhe on the ground before him.

A door creaked open. "What?" barked the Fae king, turning away from the twitching man at his feet.

A male Fae with angular features opened the door widely and said, "I have news concerning the human girl, Sarah Williams."

"Well?" the king demanded. The figure on the floor perked with interest, as well, at the sound of her name.

"My team and I were able to track her down but your sis—I mean the enemy got to her first. They set a false trail and escaped."

Maximus' face rapidly reddened until it was solid crimson. "They _what?_"

"My lord, Tatiana took her back to the Underground. My team has already set out to locate the rebel whereabouts. I can guarantee we _will_ find her."

The assurances of the police chief had the king smiling wickedly. He trusted them implicitly to find her. Nobody escaped once his secret police set their sights on a person. This Sarah character would be no exception. They will find her, and they will bring her back alive. The unfortunate human girl may be the key in obtaining what the king needed.

Maximus turned back to trembling man at his feet. "Well, Jareth, I wonder if you will remain so obstinate in your opposition when it's Sarah writhing on the floor in agony. You might want to think about that." With those parting words, Maximus, tailed by Lucinda, strode out of the room.

A tortured cry like no other pierced the night air and carried even to the inhabitants of the city sleeping soundly in their beds.

**Author Note: **Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you are thinking by clicking that little button that says REVIEW!


	4. The Rebellion

**Author Note: **Hello everyone! Okay, so the reason this chapter has taken so long to write is because I have been in the middle of a serious writer's block. No joke. It was bad. I will try to get the next one up in a timely manner but I won't make promises because I still need to map out the details of the next chapter. Anyways, sorry for the wait! Please read and review.

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Chapter 3 The Rebellion

A chasm of darkness greeted Sarah's eyes as she, Tatiana and Tatiana's friend descended into the cave. Brisk, cool air enveloped her, causing the hairs on her forearms to stand on end. Their footsteps echoed; Tatiana's, a painful stumble, her friend's, sure and steady; and Sarah's, uncertain. The scent of ancient earth hung heavily in the air; it tasted of it as well.

Pity laced with admiration filled Sarah as she watched Tatiana stumble and struggle along the labyrinthine path. Although the fae was in obvious pain, she somehow managed to keep her head up high and her bleeding shoulders back while limping. Sarah was worried that Tatiana would tire from exerting so much energy but at the same time, she was awed by Tatiana's will to appear strong.

Tatiana's friend was not as easily convinced.

He had his hands held out in front of him, prepared to catch her or carry her if she needed him to…and he would. Sarah was embarrassed that she did not remember who this man was. She positively did not recognize his face yet she had the strangest feeling that she had met him before.

Sluggishly, Sarah continued on, trying to keep up with the two fae. It felt as if they had been walking for an eternity, but that could have simply been the unchanging scenery — darkness and stone.

After what felt like an eon later, a light flickered down the dank corridor. Heartened by this mere trace of light, Sarah pressed onward with renewed vigor, her strides becoming wider and more confident. Soon she matched the mystery man's pace with ease. He smiled at her and Sarah could have sworn she had seen that smile before.

One moment they were in darkness, the next they were bathed in ambient lighting in a cavern whose size was the equivalent of a football stadium. Uncut gems glimmered along the stonewalls, reflecting the various colors of light which danced along the floor. However, what was truly astounding was the amount of beings housed in the chasm. Creatures of various colors, shapes, and sizes worked industriously on their numerous employments. A clump of what Sarah guessed were dwarves hammered away on what looked like weapons; sparks flew all across the great room. On the opposite side of the room were what appeared to be elves target practicing with arrows alight with green fire. All around were creatures Sarah believed only existed in storybooks, but then again, she learned long ago how real storybook characters could be.

"Ahem." The male fae cleared his throat loudly, announcing their presence. All the creatures froze mid-action and stared. For many of them, this was the first time they had ever encountered an Abovegrounder and so their eyes immediately darted to Sarah before turning their attention back to their leader.

"As you were," Tatiana's voice rang like a bell through the _nearly_ silent cave (a small group of goblins was cackling to themselves about something of other). Slowly, the babble of voices and the symphony of clanking hammers against protesting metal picked up again. Tatiana walked proudly through them to the opposite side of the cave where a passage could be seen. Sarah groaned, her feet aching. More walking.

The passage was short, however, just a few yards that led to a giant stonewall. To Sarah's dismay, all she could see was a dead end. Then the man stepped up to it and pulled down on a piece of rock jutting out of the wall. It opened, revealing a round, bubble-like room behind an arch.

They entered and the room was suddenly bright; wall torches sprung to life providing ample light by which they could see. A makeshift table stood in the center of the cavern, papers and maps strewn across its surface. It occurred to Sarah that whatever was going on in this place, was planned in this room.

All pretenses of being fine were thrown out the window; Tatiana sank to the ground, gasping in pain.

"Ta-ti!" The man rushed to Tatiana's side and picked her up of the ground. He held her in the cradle of his arms and gingerly set her down on the edge of the table. He wiped the hair plastered to her face by sweat away and began to further examine her condition.

She swatted his hands away. "I'm _fine_, Thade!" she snapped. He recoiled as his brows furrowed together in consternation.

_Thade_. Sarah hit her forehead, the light bulb going off in her brain. She felt dense for not guessing sooner. The early memory of the ball shimmered in her mind. Thade had worn an ornate mask but Sarah could now recognize the same warm, brown eyes and shoulder-length, raven hair framing his cinnamon skin. Without his mask, Sarah could see that he was actually quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way. As she took in the details of his face, a flash of intuition struck her. The way Thade gazed at Tatiana, so full of worry yet mingled with adoration, it was impossible to miss that he was in love with her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sarah wondered if it was requited or not.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to find someone to have a look at your shoulder," Thade said to Tatiana, both oblivious to Sarah's mild epiphany. "Is there anything you need, Sarah?" he asked, turning to her out of politeness although his eyes remained primarily on Tatiana.

Sarah replied, "Something to drink would be nice." Thade nodded before striding out of the room.

Tatiana sighed, shaking her head. "He's going to go prematurely gray, the way he caries on."

Sarah snorted. "I thought fae don't age," she said in reply.

"We don't. But still…."

Sarah came over to Tatiana and sat down beside her. "He's just worried about you. You were really hurt back there and your shoulder is getting worse. He was right to go find help for you."

"I know, I know. But he is such a worrywart. I am a big girl. I do not need him to take care every little thing for me."

Sarah bit back what she was dying to say and replied instead, "He is a great friend, isn't he?"

"The best," Tatiana agreed, the corners of her mouth turning up affectionately.

"How long have you two been friends?" Sarah asked.

"Since we were kids, and considering my age, that is saying something." Tatiana grinned slyly at Sarah who giggled in accordance.

Thade reappeared in the archway with a petite girl at his side. Sarah could not help but stare at the creature next to him; everything about her was shocking. The girl was twig-like, all skin and bones with no traces of fat or muscle anywhere on her anatomy. Her face was androgynous — deep-set eyes, high cheekbones and thin yet shapely lips. Her skin was as white as snow and held no traces of blush anywhere on her cheeks. Her eyes were the color of stele and seemed just as sharp. She had a high forehead that was framed by strikingly blue, spiky hair.

"What are you looking at?" she barked at Sarah in a high, surprisingly feminine voice. Sarah quickly dropped her eyes, only after noting the girl's various facial piercings.

"Sorry," Sarah mumbled.

"You should be," the tiny girl said. "Now, Tatiana, what did you do this time, eh?" The girl flitted to the injured fae's side and began examining the wound on her shoulder. "Had a little run in with Mr.-High-and-Mighty's chief of police, did we?" she asked, whipping out a crystal vial containing an orangish liquid.

"He has it out for me," Tatiana grinned. The spiky haired girl ripped a strip of linen and soaked it in the liquid. Tatiana winced as the fabric was applied to the gash on her shoulder.

"He has not right to be," the girl said in a matter-of-fact tone as she dabbed the wound. "I mean, you two only dated for, what? A hundred years? He hardly has the right to be so clingy after such a short period." Initially, Sarah mistook this statement as sarcasm until she realized how long a fae could live.

"Tell me about it!" Tatiana agreed. "The man is insane. I mean, who expects marriage after a hundred years? You can hardly even call that a relationship!"

"The man is nothing, if not delusional," the tiny creature chimed as she wrapped the fae's shoulder in linen. "There," she said, storing the excess cloth away. "Now, do try to be more careful next time. I have better things to do than to patch you up every time you come back from a mission."

Tatiana rolled her eyes but dismissed her with a wave of her hand. The twig-like girl turned on her heel and left without a second glance.

"Who was that?" Sarah asked as she sipped from the goblet Thade handed her.

"Rowena," he answered.

"She is our resident healer here," Tatiana added.

"What exactly _is_ she?" Sarah felt a little rude to ask but she could not make heads or tails of the girl's appearance.

"She's an elf determined to stand out," Thade chuckled. "She cannot stand the idea of being delicate or soft spoken or, heaven forbid, _blonde_ like the other elves in the Underground and…well, you get the picture."

"Enough about Rowena's fashion sense," Tatiana sighed, "we need to fill Sarah in on everything that has been happening since that abomination of a ball."

"I am sure, Ta-ti, that it can wait until morning —"

"No, Thade. That would be a waste of everyone's time here." Tatiana's eyes narrowed and her jaw set sternly.

"But you are injured. You need to rest!"

"The last time I checked, talking has never really expended a great deal of energy." Her expression was hard and resolute. Thade sighed and yielded to her without another word. He had no desire to fight with her.

Pleased by her evident victory over the conversation, Tatiana proceeded to fill in the large gap of information for Sarah. Although she did not know it when it happened, the final spell Jareth cast in the labyrinth was a powerful protection charm, one that had not been used in eons. The spell was complicated and required immense power in order for it to even work, let alone sustain itself. According to Tatiana, there were many complicated logistics that went into the precise use of the charm, however, the gist was that it made the most important things to the caster of the charm untouchable by enemies. However, the charm was not unbreakable, and based on the reconnaissance missions many rebel fae had completed, Maximus was close to recovering the answer.

This information muddled Sarah. Why would Maximus want her anyways? There was nothing special about her. Tatiana shook her head and explained exactly why he did want her. Sarah was right about there being nothing particularly threatening about her; she could hardly inflict damage on arguably the most powerful fae in the Underground. Yet she was vitally important to the only fae who could rival his power: Tatiana and Jareth. He needed Sarah as a bargaining tool. If he had her within his iron grasp, he could squelch the rebellion and force Jareth to surrender his power.

"Then why did you bring me back? It seems to me that it would be better for all of us if you left me at home." Despite the explanation, Sarah could only come up with more questions than answers.

"For many reasons," Tatiana said. Over the past month, Jareth's power had been waning drastically. Tatiana was relatively safe because she was able to cast her own protection charm around the caves in order to keep enemies out but the spell that protected Sarah was fading fast. According to Tatiana, unless they acted quickly, the magic guarding the Labyrinth would be the next to fall.

"It gets worse, I'm afraid," Thade said gravely.

"_Worse?_" Sarah was incredulous. How could it get any worse?

"When I went to retrieve Rowena, one of spies back from doing some recon spoke with me. He said that Maximus has made it so that no one besides authorized personnel or non-magical beings can get within a hundred yards of the palace."

"I don't understand," Sarah said after a moment.

Tatiana clenched her fist. "It means that they're setting a trap for you. It's no secret that we're trying to rescue Jareth; we have to. So, since we recovered you, he is making it so that only you could hope to accomplish that." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Damn! He's good. But we might be able to outwit him. And we have to act fast. Tomorrow, if we can."

The small cavern was silent for a moment. "Tatiana?"

"Yes?" she replied still irritated by the new discovery.

"I still don't understand some things," Sarah said quietly.

"Like what?"

"Those people who arrived at my house right after you did…they work for Maximus right?"

"Yes. What about them?"

"How did they find me? And for that matter, how did _you_ find me?"

Tatiana produced from her waistband a now crumpled piece of parchment. She held it out to Sarah. She took it into her hands and examined it; there were words inscribed on the paper in elegant script. They were in a language Sarah had never seen before. She handed the parchment back with a muddled expression in her eyes.

"Whoever first cast the charm that Jareth cast that night wrote down its counter curse. Twice. I discovered where one scroll was, and, unfortunately, Maximus found the other."

"You know in all fairness, Ta-ti, it was the dwarf, Hoggle, who retrieved the scroll," Thade said with humor glinting in his eyes.

"Yes, but he would not have had a clue where to find it if I had not told him its whereabouts. So, there."

This tiny bit of news filled Sarah with relief. Hoggle was safe. Thank God.

"Was there anything else you didn't understand, Sarah?"

"Umm…yes. Why hasn't Maximus, you know, killed Jareth?" She practically choked the last word out.

Tatiana thought for a moment about the best way to explain it. Finally, she said, "Because the Labyrinth cannot be conquered. It can only be handed down. If Maximus killed Jareth without Jareth naming him as his successor, the Labyrinth would be lost to everyone…forever."

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**Author Note: **One more thing, please check out my upcoming projects on my profile page and then answer the poll question. It would help me out a ton.


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